The present invention is a new and distinct basil plant.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is a popular herb having cooking and medicinal uses. In cooking, the herb is often used either fresh or dried to impart its distinctive flavor into various dishes, especially Italian cuisine. The most common types of basil for cooking purposes are the Sweet Italian basil varieties. As an herbal medicine, basil is believed to have a soothing effect on the digestive system.
Basil is commonly used in cooking in either a fresh or dried form. Recently, the demand for fresh basil has greatly increased. Not only has there been a general trend in cooking to use fresh ingredients, but modern cooks are discovering the taste advantages of using fresh herbs such as basil. As with the sale of any harvested fresh plant, visual appeal and fresh characteristics are important to obtain maximum commercial value.
Sweet Italian basil is an annual plant that is generally planted for a single harvest season. Each year, therefore, a new crop of Sweet Italian basil is typically seeded. Sweet Italian basil is particularly susceptible to the disease, Fusarium wilt. Fusarium wilt is characterized by damping-off, collapse of the plant, wilting, and a brown dry rot. This disease is caused by any of several fungi of the genus, Fusarium. Fusarium wilt can devastate a stand of basil and there is no known effective remedy. Therefore, if a stand of basil is attacked by Fusarium wilt, the stand is harvested at dramatically reduced levels. Once a stand is infected with Fusarium wilt, a die off of about 70% is typical, thus dramatically reducing the economic value of the crop.
When fully grown, the Sweet Italian basil plant may reach a height of two feet. The plant has green shiny 1-2 inch long leaves and has spikes of white flowers. During its growth period the Sweet Italian basil plant is also susceptible to attack by pests. Particularly problematic is the root knot nematode. The root knot nematode is an unsegmented worm such as the round worm, and attacks the root system of the Sweet Italian basil. Although not as devastating as Fusarium wilt, the root knot nematode has a significant negative effect on the production levels of that crop.
Sweet Italian basil, being an annual, is generally grown for only a single season and can commonly be harvested eight to ten times. Each time a basil plant is harvested, only selected parts of the foliage are removed for processing and sale. The harvested parts of the basil plant are commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cbasil topsxe2x80x9d, even though the harvested parts do not necessarily come only from the top of the plant.
Commercially harvested sweet basil requires careful monitoring of temperatures for optimal production. For example, once temperatures reach approximately 100 degrees, there is a dramatic effect on the turgidity of the cell walls of the plant, causing rapid wilt. Therefore, a commercial basil grower must delay harvesting until more moderate temperatures return, or accept the risk that a substantial amount of the basil harvested in high heat will wilt and have to be discarded.
Once the basil tops have been harvested, they are refrigerated and packaged. The refrigerated packages are shipped to commercial market outlets where they are sold. Once the basil tops have been harvested from the Sweet Italian basil plants, the basil tops can deteriorate rapidly by wilting and turning black. Within a few days after harvesting, the harvested basil tops typically have deteriorated to the point they are no longer fit for sale. Once the basil has deteriorated beyond a point of marketability, it must be discarded by the commercial outlet, thereby being a total economic loss. Sweet Italian basil typically must be sold within only four days after harvest.
The productivity of basil is measured in the pounds of basil tops harvested per acre each month. Since fresh basil is sold by weight, the productivity of a crop of basil is therefore a primary indicator of the economic value for a particular variety. In the peak summer growing season, it is possible to get up to 9,250 pounds per acre per month from a crop of Sweet Italian basil. This productivity drops dramatically to about 3900 pounds per acre per month in the cooler winter months.
Once the growing season has ended, the basil plants are removed and new plantings are grown for the succeeding season. Although typically a crop of Sweet Italian basil is planted from seed, in some rare circumstances, it may be desirable to asexually propagate Sweet Italian basil. However, the Sweet Italian basil plant can be difficult to propagate asexually in quantity as asexually propagated basil plants typically die off at a rate exceeding 60%.
As indicated, the present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of basil, named xe2x80x98Mahaxe2x80x99. xe2x80x98Mahaxe2x80x99 has been successfully asexually reproduced by the above-listed inventors since the spring of 1994. For the planting season 1993, a crop of basil was propagated by seed. At the end of the 1993 growing season, certain plants were selected for their unique characteristics, including not-seen-before resistance to Fusarium wilt. These 1993 stock plants were isolated from the remaining crop. In 1994, a single plant was selected for continued propagation. Over the next few successive planting seasons, cuttings were taken and asexually propagated to increase the number of new basil plants. Throughout this process the plants were identified and segregated from the traditional Sweet Italian basil.
Specially, the asexual reproduction of xe2x80x98Mahaxe2x80x99 was accomplished by taking softwood cuttings from a strong apical part of the stock new basil plant. The cuttings were at least five inches in length and were chosen such that there was no discoloration in the stem or leaf. Although branch stems are not preferred, they could be used if necessary to increase the number of plants. The cuttings were occasionally misted to maintain their freshness. Immediately prior to planting in the flats, the cuttings were cut back to about a three inch length, thereby reducing the amount of moisture loss caused by the cut. If the leaves of the cutting were excessively large, they were trimmed. A new fresh angled cut was made on the cutting, a rooting hormone applied, and the cutting inserted into soil in a flat.
Once the cutting was in the soil medium, it was neccessary to dampen immediately. Care was taken that the soil was tightly placed against the cutting, thereby reducing the air space around the cutting and increasing the contact between the soil and the plant material. Flats having the newly planted cuttings of the new plant were maintained at approximately 80xc2x0 F., thereby allowing for rapid root development. Frequent and short waterings were given to maintain proper moisture levels. As the roots began to develop, the watering frequency was decreased. Although adequate water is important in the asexual propagation process, care was taken not to over water.
The time necessary for the cuttings to mature into transplantable plants varied depending on the season and temperature. In summer, the cuttings went from cutting to plantable plant in only 7 to 10 days, and this period would extend to 14 to 21 days in winter.